To Protect
by KennHyrulian
Summary: "My last order to you. Go with my daughter. Guide her. Teach her. Protect her. Let her live the life that I wasn't able to give her. And most important of all; be the family I couldn't give to her."
1. An honor to serve

**An honor to serve**

The sweet scent of morning dew carried through the wind as the dawn slowly approached, the cool spring air sending a refreshing breeze that lifted my long hair as I continued with my vigil on the mistress. My halberd rested upon my shoulder, always within arm's reach. I shifted slightly, finding another comfortable spot before halting again.

It was odd, sitting in such a lush environment; green grass covered the rolling hills and meadows and the trees sprouted everywhere, varying in sizes from the smallest shrub to oldest oaks that towered above walls. Where I and my mistress were from, all that the eye could see were the flowing sands of the desert and the small villages and forts built out of stone and clay. It was a harsh environment, but it was there the strong found their strength and the weak were exiled.

I took another deep breathe of the cool air and felt a shiver travel up my body. The shocking difference in the environment did wonders upon my calloused body. It felt like a soft caress from a significant other, one that told me there were no troubles to worry about. It made me feel relaxed and safe.

My eyes shot open and scanned the horizon as I heard the sound of footsteps. Immediately I grabbed the halberd and held it at the ready, the crimson tassel attached to it dancing in the breeze. The end of the halberd rested upon the ground as the gleaming metal shone menacingly towards the origin of the source.

Once again, I thanked my weary instincts as three figures appeared over the hill. Immediately I shifted my position, bringing myself between the intruders and my mistress. The halberd swung around to face the three possible threats. Already I could see the three figures halting and staring at us, before they continued moving. One of them mounted an armored horse and drew a lance as they continued towards me.

They continued getting closer and closer, and I began to make out several details as they got closer. The one in the lead wore a lordly armor, clad almost completely in navy-colored leather with a metal pauldron sitting upon his left shoulder, a cape hanging off the clipping and covering his left arm. A strange tattoo was implanted on his right shoulder, and a sword hung by his side, slightly covered by his cloak. I noted with a bit of surprise that his hair was the color of blue, before quickly focusing again.

Following closely behind him was a girl wearing the strangest battle clothing I have ever seen. She was draped in a gown usually seen in a ball or festival, with a leather corset wrapping around her thin upper body. Her pale blond hair was tied into two twin pigtails, and she held a healing staff behind her. She was biting her lips in nervousness, and was mostly hiding herself behind the man in the royal armor.

The final person was the one who had mounted his warhorse, and he was the one that I kept my attention onto. Excluding the helmet, he was fully clad in steel armor and was holding a large lance that he kept pointed towards me. His brown curls may have been attractive, but his stern face and cold, calculating eyes detracted any thought of that. Upon his warhorse, sitting at ease with the expertise of a trained veteran, he gave off a cutting image. He was probably the most intimidating fighter I have ever had the honor to face.

Soon they walked too close to my liking. A small growl escaped my lips, and with a quick movement I sent off a threatening gesture to the man in the front. Immediately the entire procession stopped. The man put his hand upon his sheathed sword. The knight had urged his horse forward so he was now the one in front, the lance still pointed towards me. The young girl had yelped slightly and jumped back, but she was still within range to mend her comrades.

I felt myself unconsciously shifting backwards towards the mistress as the knight's horse shifted forward. My eyes watched every movement of the two men as they continued to stare at me. They seemed to have a small talk before the one with the sword approached me again, this time with both his hands raised in a placating gesture.

He said something. I wasn't sure what it was, but once again he walked too close to my comfort zone, and I decided to force him back.

I jabbed my halberd forward in a quick movement, releasing my left hand and shoving with my right, my forearm supporting the shaft of my weapon. The superior range of my halberd managed to quickly close the distance, and the metal end slammed into his chest.

Or, it would have. The knight on the horse had moved with surprising speed and batted my halberd away easily, the weighted end going against my will as the momentum it gained was misdirected.

Now, the thing about halberds was that they were possibly the one of, if not the least maneuverable weapon that existed so far. It was a long shaft of treated wood that extended up to one and a half to two meters, with a large metallic piece at the end. The halberd was meant to be a combination of many different weapons, with the lance-like tip, the axe blade and a small hook all forged into a hefty metal piece attached at the front of the shaft. Because of this, the halberd was adaptable to most situations. Unfortunately, the sheer weight of the metal that was left on one end resulted in an unbalanced weapon due to the structure of the tool, and left the wielder susceptible quick movements and a longer recovery time after each movement.

I felt my halberd swing off course. Immediately, the knight spurred his horse right into my face, his lance coming down to cut my arm off. I spun quickly, using the halberd's momentum to quickly reposition myself and swinging it around to collide with the knight.

I must have caught the knight by surprise, as he probably did not expect me to recover that quickly. Just as the axe blade was about to reach him, it was blocked yet again, this time by the man I had tried to stab. I quickly pulled back and positioned myself between them and my mistress again. She was still resting underneath the shade of a tree, and I thanked whatever Gods there were that the intruders hadn't touched her while I was distracted.

I gripped my halberd tightly again as I stared towards the knight and swordsman. They were watching me warily. As one, they approached me again, this time the swordsman strategizing with the knight. They split up, and they approached me from both sides, each with cold faces. I started to retreat again, attempting to keep both of them within my sights. Before long, I was near the foot of my mistress and I stood my ground again. I took a deep breathe, and gripped my halberd tightly. My legs tensed, my entire body leaned forward as I prepared to engage and hopefully force them back. The knight sensed my movement and quickly spurred his horse forward, lance lowered in a deadly point. The swordsman followed the knight's lead, quickly closing the gap in tandem.

I swung my lance towards the right, against the charging knight. My eyes widened as the swordsman suddenly appeared in front of me, his sword already forcing my halberd away, before quickly dashing out. I looked back up only to see the hooves and gleaming lance of the knight bearing down on me, my halberd nowhere near in position to halt the advance.

The world tumbled into chaos as I was knocked heavily by the cavalry. I attempted to grab my halberd only to feel a sudden burst of pain in my arm as I fell, my hand unknowingly releasing my weapon. My head was smashed against the ground as the horse trampled me, and with bleary eyes I realized the knight's lance had pierced my left arm into the ground. The knight galloped past me, leaving a cloud of dust. As I moved my eyes I realized the swordsman now held his weapon to my throat, his foot on my chest and his eyes covered by the shadows of his hair.

I quickly glanced around, noticing that my mistress was still sleeping by the tree that I was knocked away from. The knight had circled around and the cleric had begun approaching. The swordsman slammed his foot into my bruised chest again, demanding my attention. I scowled at him, trying desperately to hide the pain.

He spoke something to his comrades, gesturing in a direction. With a startled gasp, I noticed the knight and cleric walking towards my mistress. In desperation, I bucked my body, squirming and thrashing to get the man's boot off of me. The sudden action thankfully unbalanced him, and I _tore_ my left arm from the lance that anchored me to the earth. The pain was unbelievable; it felt as if the area was skinned and being slowly roasted over a fire.

But I ignored it. With the last of my strength, I kicked the knight who had only dismounted, sending him tumbling backwards with the weight of his armor pulling him down the hill. I pulled out a small knife; the type used for preparing food and would probably fail in piercing skin, and held it in my right hand. I leapt over my mistress, my body over her form, legs on both side with the knife pointed threateningly towards the cleric, who quickly retreated.

The swordsman returned, recovering quickly from my frenzied movements and charged towards me, his gleaming sword shining menacingly in the morning light. Unwillingly I felt a tear rise to my eyes. Is this where I would fall? Where I would fail my previous master's orders, to defend her daughter?

Time seemed to slow down, as I watched the sword thrust at me. I attempted to move the knife to deflect it at the very least, but the sword easily sheared through the weak metal of the knife. With no wasted movement, the swordsman smoothly moved his sword into an overhead position, about to cleave me from head to foot, and I closed my eyes.

I could feel blood flowing from my chest and arms from the wounds that I've sustained.

There is nothing I can do, but wait.

And so I waited for the blade to descend.

A panicked voice sounded through the air, and I watched with relief as the swordsman was knocked back, head over heels as a wind spell sent him flying. My mouth morphed into a small grin as my mistress finally woke up, and I thanked the gods that she always woke up fully alert. She pulled out her Elwind tome and gestured threateningly towards the intruders, her old bronze sword hanging by her side as she stood in front of me in a reversal of roles. I faintly heard her demanding something of the intruders, who replied in similar tones. Not that I would understand any of what they were saying.

My mind started to cloud up as the adrenaline began to leave me. Only just then did I realize how much blood I had lost with my reckless move to tear my arm from the lance. The mistress turned to look at me as I slowly began to lean against the tree and sink towards the ground. Her olive-colored eyes watching with concern.

I muttered out the only word I knew in their language. "Mistress." I gave a small smile to her, before I slumped against the tree, my body giving out to exhaustion. She crouched in front of me, grabbing onto my shoulders as she pleaded me with words that I could not understand. She looked at her hand in shock as she noticed the amount of blood that flooded out in a few seconds of contact. She screamed something. I wasn't sure what, and I felt my eyes close tiredly.

The darkness welcomed me.

* * *

For the longest time I wondered why people preferred the light to the darkness. It was so bright and damning to the eyes. It burnt against the skin and tortured the bodies of men. It was a cruel taskmaster, always whipping away on those who dared venture out. The darkness was when the light was forced back, where the cool winds approached the tired workers and sheltered them within her loving arms. The dark was where all was kept secret and kept safe, its shroud of protection extending over everyone who would willingly accept it.

While I slumbered in the dark, my body was detached from the mind. What pain the body felt was removed and the mind was freed from suffering, and I was content at last. No more hardships. No more pain.

But there was that damnable light in the corner of my eyes. I sought to snuff it out but I had no method of doing so. I glared at the tiny speck of light that ruined the darkness, and scowled even more when it grew larger and larger. Soon the light covered the room and I felt agonizing pain and burning again. I struggled to flee back to the darkness, but the light reached out and grabbed me, pulling me back into…

A bed? I felt my body resting upon a mattress of amazing softness, like none I've ever felt before. It was amazingly comfortable. My eyes slowly opened as I peered at the wooden ceiling, before looking around. It was a small room dimly lit by a candle. I scanned the room again, only then realizing there were occupants in the same room. The swordsman was in a chair slumped over the table. The cleric was lying down on a sleeping bag; her staff leaning near her. The knight was standing by the window, looking outwards.

My eyes widened slightly as I searched for my mistress. With a soft exhale of relief, I found her slumped over the bed I was in, her head resting on her forearms right beside where I was. I slowly relaxed into my pillow again, and examined my body. The bindings on my chest were removed, as well as the light leather armor that I had been wearing. My left arm was healed, mostly. It was occasionally sore when I attempted to move it around. My body still ached slightly, but the cleric that had healed me had done a surprisingly satisfactory job at repairing my body despite her young age.

I moved my arm slightly and slowly shook the mistress awake. She awoke almost instantly, and the moment she saw me she grabbed me in a deathly embrace, shaking and weeping as she did so. I held back my wince as she grabbed my left arm, and continued to accept her hug.

She continued to mumble into my ear, her tears continuing to flow. Looking past her I saw the other occupants woke up as well. The cleric had the widest smile on her face and a tear trickled down her eye. The swordsman had a small grin, though his eyes had a sign of guilt. The knight still stood by the window, but his shoulders were slightly drooped from his once perfect form.

I ignored them. As long as the mistress Robin was with me, I had no fears. I am her living shadow. Where she goes, I go. Whatever she wishes is my command. And where she treads, I will be by her side.

That is, after all, what a Guardian will do.

* * *

**This was a quick short story that hit me while I was reading a couple of other Fire Emblem: Awakening fanfic. I wrote this up in around three hours attempting to do something that soothes the plot bunny hopping about in my head. **

**See, I've always wondered what happened to Robin's mother. All we know from the game is that she ditched Validar and ran away with Robin. But what happened before? **

**Assuming that she was treated close to nobility due to her marriage with Validar (at least amongst the Grimleal), I assumed that the Avatar's mother would have at least one personal servant, and that her last wish would be for this servant to protect her daughter.**

**Or something like that. So this character was the result of that plot bunny.**

**Reviews appreciated, criticism upon grammar or plot holes even more. this story will probably sooner or later.**

**New Second-Tier Class Unlocked: Guardian  
The guardian class is a frontline-support class with special emphasis upon soaking up damage and providing excellent boosts in defensive stats when paired up with other units. Boasting high health, defense and resistance against magic after many years of training, the Guardian becomes a formidable presence that can easily survive many blows without faltering. Wielding a heavy halberd that holds the attributes of both a lance and an axe, the Guardian is adaptable to most, if not all situations in exchange for a decrease in speed. Although slightly lacking in the offensive counterpart as compared to most other classes, a Guardian is always desired to protect the less protected.**

**Optimal Skills:  
****Aegis – Halves damage from Bows, Tomes, and Dragonstones (Skill %)  
Pavise – Halves damage from Swords, Lances, Axes, Monster weapons, and Beaststone (Skill %)  
Vengeance – Adds half of the user's current health difference to their attack (Skill*2%)  
Dual Guard+ – Boosts the chance of Dual Guarding by 20%  
Martyr – Stats grow higher as more health is depleted. If you fall in battle, bonus stats are transferred over to paired/surrounding units for 3 turns.**

**Growth Rates: ****  
HP: 110%  
STR: 55%  
MAG: 10%  
SKL: 55%  
SPD: 25%  
LUK: 35%  
DEF: 80%  
RES: 80%**

**Final Stats: ****  
HP: 85  
STR: 45  
MAG: 15  
SKL: 40  
SPD: 25  
LUK: 45  
DEF: 55  
RES: 55  
MOV: 5**


	2. Pushing forward

**Pushing forward**

While I have had many experiences in my service to the mistress, I can safely say that having a conversation with a former enemy-turned-ally was one that I had never imagined going through. Watching the two men converse with my mistress in the cramped room played havoc on my nerves, my instincts screaming at me to grab my halberd and rush at them.

Unfortunately, my body was still recovering from the earlier skirmishing with said men. The healer, who was younger than I had guessed, was carefully focusing her magi into her staff, slowly hovering over my left arm, coaxing the body to reconnect the tendons and accelerating the regeneration of flesh in the region where the body had yet to cover. Her face was scrunched in an image of utmost focus, and a sheen of sweat formed slightly on her forehead.

With a soft sigh of relief, she stepped back and set her staff against the wall, smiling brilliantly. With a final check, she massaged the formerly mutilated area, feeling for irregularities and watching my reaction. When I didn't flinch in the slightest, she smiled again and walked to the others in the room, probably informing them of my condition.

I rolled the sheets off of me and heaved my body into a sitting position on the bed. I grunted slightly as my body was jolted into movement after a long period of inaction. Rolling my left arm slightly, I stood and started to find my halberd. I had barely taken a step before a sudden gasp of shock sounded, and I whirled around quickly, my hand grabbing the lamp on the desk, facing towards the source of the sound.

I stared curiously as the four occupants blinked at me with faces of shock. The two men had a crimson shade on their faces that slowly grew darker the longer they stared. The cleric was quickly shoving the two men out of the room, using her staff to beat them out as they spluttered incomprehensibly.

Robin had immediately rushed to me and thrown the sheets from the bed around me, cloaking me entirely in it as I watched her oddly. She rambled on in her language as she fretted over me, alternating from embarrassment to annoyance to concern in a barrage of emotions. She noticed my confused face and just sighed, before handing me my smallclothes and several pieces of clothing.

I blinked at her once more in confusion, and she gave a small smile to me. I quickly dressed myself in the linen clothing. Afterwards, Robin and the cleric gathered my armor. I noticed that my armor was cleaned of all the blood that had flowed out of my wounds. Both of the girls in front of me were struggling with the plated armor, and I quickly moved forward to assist them, lifting the metal pieces and placing them on the bed. I slowly began to place the pieces onto myself, with some assistance from the two around me, tightening straps and adjusting the fragments of metal into their proper position. Sighing in the comfort of my armor, I stood up with ease in the armor as the girls watched me with slight shock, and I rolled my left arm again, doing a final check to make sure that I had full motor control of the muscles.

Giving a small glance out the window, I noted with a bit of surprise that the sun was still shining brightly in the middle of the sky. Given the amount of activity in the town, I surmised that it must have just after noon, meaning that it had been only a couple of hours since my morning duel with the two men. Backing away from the window, I turned around and grabbed the halberd that Robin was struggling to lift. I gave her a small smile as I received it and patted the cleric on her shoulder for their hard efforts.

Both of them beamed at me, and I found myself comparing them to a loyal hound, their unseen tails wagging rapidly in response to my thanks. After strapping my halberd onto my back, Robin took my hand and pulled me outside of the room and down the stairs. There, we met with the other companions in the bar, whom were sitting at a table. As I was pulled down onto a seat, the mistress quickly sitting next to me and shifting her chair closer, I watched the men warily. The young cleric from before was already chatting with her companions, oblivious to their unease as they watched me. Strangely, they seemed to watch me with embarrassment instead of wariness.

As Robin continued her conversation with the man in the lordly armor, I found myself drifting away and thinking of nothing in general. Thoughts and images rushed through my mind in a chaotic order with no meaning to them. I glanced at the waitress who had just brought several mugs to our table, and nodded my thanks. I held the arm of Robin just as she was about to drink her own, and sniffed the mugs, before slowly taking a sip. When I judged it adequate, I released my arm.

The other man, the knight, nodded in approval at my actions while Robin just pouted in embarrassment, but they continued their conversation again. Eventually, my mind drifted away again.

My thoughts vanished and my body tensed when the doors to the inn was kicked open, the hinges on the abused opening groaning and falling, leaving the doors crooked. A man wielding an iron axe strode in, his eyes gleaming in maliciousness, and quickly cut down the closest patron near the door.

Screams erupted, and I grabbed the table and hurled it towards the entrance, rushing right behind it. The bandit's eyes widened at the flying projectile before being launched outwards, his head caving in from the sheer momentum of the object. My halberd was drawn from my back, and I leapt forward, the lanced point plunging through the bandit's heart. With a flourish I ripped the point sideways out of his body, mutilating his heart and lungs while throwing the body towards the side. The crimson tassel was drenched in blood as it flew through the air.

Several bandits stood in shock around me, and I quickly engaged them, ending two of them before they could react. By that time, Robin had also leapt out from the ruined doors to the inn, her Arcwind tome open and the pages rapidly fluttering as runic symbols appeared around her outstretched hand. A quick yell sent a strong gale of bladed air blasting down one street, throwing the bandits against each other and causing devastation in their ranks.

I quickly finished off the last bandit in my area, parrying his overhead strike with my halberd and sweeping around with the opposite end to knock him off his feet, before bringing it around and crushing his chest with the axe blade. As he bled, I walked up to him and smashed the metal end of the halberd into his face, ending him quickly. Looking around, I saw that the other companions had rushed out as well.

Robin was belting out order for the five of us, gesturing and pointing at key locations in the battlefield. Despite the sudden fight, I found myself smiling in amusement as she entered into professional mode, entirely serious with a voice that demanded compliance. The cleric, the knight and the lord were to engage in an assault to clear out all important targets, including the ranged opposition such as the mages and archers with their astonishing mobility. The cleric was to ride along with the knight and keep them healthy enough to meet up with us later. Robin and I were to engage in a frontal assault and draw all attention, slowly leading them into a bottleneck where the numerical advantage would be negated.

As we split, Robin gestured me towards the main street, where fires were already beginning to start. I nodded, before running forward, my steps thudding the ground as my plated armor shifted against each other. My halberd was slightly behind me, the wooden staff of the halberd aligned with my right arm and I charged forward, Robin following closely behind me with her Arcwind tome held out, her eyes reading the scenarios as we rushed past them. Several villagers ran past us, and she directed them into a safer area where the militia had already began to form.

I came across my first bandit, who was too busy pillaging a jewelry stall. I rammed him with my shoulder sending him flying head over heels, and pulled my halberd into an overhead swing that cleaved his head into two. Just as quickly, a wind spell was thrown past me and smashed into another bandit. I lifted my halberd from the skull and swept it around, knocking aside the sword of another bandit and backhanding him with my left armored gauntlet, stunning him. I lifted the metal end of the halberd and rammed it into his face again, piercing his head and instantly ending him. A blow struck my back as I dug my halberd out of the remains of a head. My plated armor, however, was more than enough to negate any damage he gave and I glanced at him amusedly over my shoulder, where he stood with shock. With a quick swing, I bisected him at the hip and finished him off. Glancing back, I found Robin slightly green as she watched me, but gave a shaky thumbs-up, before signaling me to continue.

Nodding, I continued forward, my steps leaving dents in the stone path as I rumbled down the street. I breathed softly as moved forward, my eyes darting to all the dark alleyways and opened doors as I watched for bandits. A bandit leapt at me with an axe from an alleyway as I ran forward, his axe weakly connecting with me, and I quickly slammed my gauntlet into his throat, crushing it and leaving him choking for air. I continued forward without any regard for him. I could softly hear a wind spell ending his misery as Robin followed up behind me. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an enemy mage casting a flame tome towards Robin. Immediately shifting on the spot, I leapt into his line of fire, turning my back towards the flying fireball and braced myself. As the fireball hit, I grunted slightly as the heat slammed into me.

I felt my armor heating up quickly, but a quick discharge of my magi into my armor cooled it down quickly. Behind me, Robin yelled in anger as she sent a blast of wind at the mage, the wind cutting the mage into pieces as the blades of air ripped him apart. Robin ran up to me, looking me over as I stood up. Giving her a quick smile, we continued on our warpath to the center of the town where the supposed leader of the bandits would be. We met up with several of the town militia as we thundered past, the soldiers quickly gathering behind us in a small platoon, their spears and pitchforks forming a bristling wall whenever we met up with larger groups of bandits. With their aid, we quickly reached the center of the town where the bandit lord was commanding. When he noticed us, he barked out orders to his own bandits, who charged en masse.

Robin yelled out her own order, and our militamen quickly reformed their spear wall at the bridge where the bandits were ignorantly charging forward. The bandits were quickly forced into a dead stop and fell prey to the long range of the militia. Robin threw me a large buckler from a pillaged weapon stall, and pointed at the enemy bandit leader. Nodding once more, I quickly walked past the militamen. I roared out my own battle cry as I thundered past the spear wall and shoved my way forward through the bandits, knocking them into the moats where their equipment dragged them down to drown in an empty death.

The bandits quickly fell as the militia advanced along with me, taking advantage of the chaos I had in my ranks. I could feel Robin throwing wind spells at enemy mages that were about to conjure against me. As I reached the bandit leader, he brought up his axe and smashed it against the shield. The shield split almost immediately, and I discarded it by throwing it against his head, which he quickly cut again. Bringing my halberd into its two handed stance, I lunged forward with the lance point to take advantage of the range. He sidestepped it with astonishing speed and knocked it aside with his axe, before closing the distance rapidly. I spun with the momentum, and ducked as his axe flew over me. The halberd came around and the axe blade smashed into his leather armor.

With a bit of annoyance, the bandit leader recovered with only a bruise as he rushed me again. Once again I lunged at him, and he grabbed the halberd with one hand and swung his axe down heavily. I leaned back slightly so that the axe only collided with my breastplate instead of my head. I grunted as the axe blade bit slightly through the armor into my skin, but I ignored it. Shifting around, I turned with the axe still embedded into my armor, ripping it out of his hands. He growled in surprise and leapt back as I swung my halberd again.

It was annoying fighting with speedy enemies. If they knew what they were doing, they would always dance around my attacks and take advantage of my long recovery times. Stepping back, I ripped the axe in my armor and tossed it into the head of an unaware bandit. The bandit leader roared in anger and grabbed a great axe from one of his subordinates, and swung it with brutal efficiency at me. I grunted as I angled my halberd to deflect it into the ground. I stepped on his axe, and struck him with an armored gauntlet. With surprisingly strength, he retaliated and smashed his own fist into me and I was sent reeling backwards. He grabbed his great axe and circled around me. I reoriented myself and shifted myself into a ready stance, two hands grabbing the halberd.

I blinked. And then I stepped forward, right in front of the left. I released my left and extended my halberd with my right arm. The fastest and longest move a halberd bearer could do. A lightning quick lunge unexpected of a halberd wielder. My sudden attack took him by surprise and slammed into his fingers holding the great axe, piercing and cutting through bone leaving his hand mutilated. As he roared in anger, a sword quickly entered his body from behind him, piercing his heart and ending him. His roar ended in chokes of blood and he collapsed. I looked coolly at the lordly companion pulling his sword from the cooling corpse. Robin stepped up to my side and she watched me with slight concern. Shaking my head, I smiled and gestured to the other companions.

Robin noticed them and gave a wide smile at the successful defense of the town. She, the lord and the knight conversed again in an impromptu debriefing while the cleric, who noticed myself shifting slightly in pain and discomfort walked up to me and quickly waved a weak, but quick healing spell that mended the broken skin on my body. I bowed in thanks to her, and she giggled as she walked back to her companions.

With the debriefing over, Robin walked over to my side and grabbed my hand, bringing me closer to the rest of the companions that we had met, who were being thanked by the village elders and militamen. I glanced around in surprise as the remaining civilians were being herded to the center of the village where a feast was already beginning to take place. Tears of joy and relief were showing on their faces and overall the people of this town had recovered amazingly from the devastating battle. But I could see the many bodies of innocents and militiamen who died in the conflict staining the cities. Their bodies were being covered and brought to the graveyard. I clenched my fist tightly, the gauntlet making a rustic sound as it shifted against each other.

Someone tapped my shoulder, and as I shifted I could see several of the militiamen who had formed the spear wall in the last phase of the battle. They pounded my back in thanks, smiles lighting their faces as they congratulated me. I continued to stare blankly in confusion as they talked to me in a language that I did not understand, but I just smiled and nodded, and stepped back a bit to Robin. Thankfully, Robin noticed my unease and explained to the militiamen my inability to speak in the Ylissean language. They nodded in understanding, before giving wide smiles and presenting me with a large rectangular shield that extended from the ground to my shoulders and covered my entire body. I received it with disbelief at the magnificent quality of the shields, and I stared at them with confirmation. The village elder stepped forward this time from his conversation with the lord and the knight and placed a hand on my shoulder, and nodded.

Still slightly in shock from the amazing gift, I bowed in thanks and stepped back as the militiamen returned to the festivities. I clasped to the gift as a lifeline and I shifted back to Robin's side, who laughed at my expression.

Before long, the thanks between the villagers and the companions were over, and we set off. Robin had decided that we were to accompany the three adventurers to wherever they were off to, and I hesitantly followed them. I still did not fully trust the lord and the knight, since they were the ones who fought me in the first place, but the cleric was a fun person to be around with her cheerful manner.

As we walked, my halberd was strapped my back and I wore the shield on my left arm, attempting to get used to the weight of it. Meanwhile, Robin and the cleric were chattering away, including the lord in their conversations every now and then. Only the knight and I were watching the surroundings, scanning the darkening shadows that had grown numerous the deeper we went into the forest.

A twig cracked, and roar sounded and the knight and I hurled our respective polearms. He drew out his sword while I moved forward with my shield, intent on ramming the potential enemy. We shifted forward slowly as the other three watched behind us cautiously, only to find the cooling carcass of a bear.

They laughed and conversed a bit, before they started setting up camp. I assumed that the bear was our meal for the night, and the Lord had already begun skinning and butchering the bear meat. I shrugged, and sat near Robin, who was still chatting with the cleric.

Before long, dinner was served, the meat was spread and the fire was roaring. I took a tentative bite and recoiled at the repulsive taste that assaulted my taste buds, spitting out the meat into a bush and gagging at the strong taste. I grasped around for a water satchel and upon finding it, drank it half empty. I glanced at Robin and watched with wide eyes as she tore the bear meat with her teeth and swallowed it whole. She glanced at her empty hands, eyes mournfully looking for more. Upon finding my uneaten meal, she crawled up to me and stared into my eyes, her own eyes tearing up slightly as she pouted slightly.

I twitched once before my body fell prey to her and gave my own meal to her. Again I watched as she completely and utterly demolished her meal with no regard to decency. Blinking again, I saw the knight hand me a slice of rabbit meat that he had hunted and caught in his own time. I nodded in thanks as I nibbled on the more agreeable meat, and quenched the hunger in my stomach.

After several more minutes of watching Robin viciously tear apart and consume the meat, we were all seated around the campfire. Most of us were sitting contently around the fire. The cleric stood up and walked over to me, and I shifted over slightly to accommodate her space. She smiled again as she plopped down beside me and pointed to herself and said something.

I blinked in confusion.

The cleric pouted. She pointed urgently to herself. She repeated the same sound.

I blinked again, before turning my gaze to Robin in hopes for assistance.

Robin smiled indulgently, before pointing to herself. "Robin."

I nodded. I understood that.

Robin then pointed to the cleric who was sitting with her head tilted in an oddly endearing fashion. "Lissa."

My mind made the connection. "Lis…sa?" I attempted to speak out while pointing to the cleric, probably butchering her name as I said so. The cleric didn't seem to mind, a huge smile spreading across her adorable face. "Lissa!" The cleric said with joy.

The cleric, Lissa, then pointed to the lord sitting across the fire watching us. "Chrom!"

The said man gave a short wave. "K…Krum?" I attempted to say out. The cleric gave a short laugh, before repeating herself. "K… Krom…?" I repeated. The cleric gave a shrug and muttered something amusedly. Robin laughed at her words, while the Lord looked slightly amused. I tried a last time. "Chrom…?" Lissa smiled and nodded as I finally managed to get the word out. 'Chrom' smiled and gave a thumbs-up towards me.

Lissa finally pointed to the knight. "Frederick."

I blinked once. "Fred." I said. The knight seemed to be slightly offended by my butchering of his name, but 'Lissa' and 'Chrom' laughed and gave me nods. Robin seemed to be beside herself with laughter at my butchery of the Ylissean language. I repeated the names in my head again. Lissa. Chrom. Frederick. I mentally nodded as I memorized the names.

Lissa poked me once more and looked in curiosity towards me. I replied with the same look. She gave a sigh of exasperation, before pointing to herself again. "Lissa." She said. She then pointed towards me.

Oh.

"Ae'ri." I mumbled out. "Ae'ri…" It had been a while since I said my name.

Lissa smiled and said my name. Or tried to. I suppose it was payback for my butchering of their names. I smiled slightly and nodded.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Robin grinning again. I leant back against the tree I was against. I watched my companions start up their own conversations again, and I gave a small smile.

It was an odd feeling, this warm sensation that rushed through my heart.

But I enjoyed it.

**Here's another chapter! Fire Emblem: Awakening is too addictive for me to give up on.**

**The name of Robin's bodyguard is finally revealed. Ae'ri. Guess where she's from. You get three chances and the first two don't count.**

**I experimented with her not knowing the Ylissean language except for the very, very basics. This was an attempt to make it so her bond with Robin went both ways. **

**Ae'ri would be Robin's confidant and protector in everything, being her everlasting 'elder sister' figure that Robin would look up to and strive to follow. Meanwhile, Robin would be the bridge between her anti-social sister-figure and the real world. (Hence why Ae'ri would look to Robin when someone tries to talk to her in Ylissean.)**

**She is also awkward in social situations. Like getting up from her bed after being healed. While naked. With two men in the room.**

**Yeeeeah…..**

**Anyways this chapter covers the recovery of Robin's companion, Ae'ri, and the subsequent battle in Southtown right after. Since the battle between Ae'ri versus Chrom and Frederick was in the morning, I envisioned that they rushed to Southtown instead of walking at the normal pace they did in canon and as such reached just before noon (~4 hours). And because healing staffs are miracle workers, flesh wounds is easily recovered with magic and a bit of rest. *Shrug*. Anyways, in this version, Robin and Ae'ri were brought to an inn to rest up and heal Ae'ri. Unfortunately, right after bandits attacked Southtown, only this time the Shepards are already at the town. **

**Surprise motherfuckers.**

**Strategy by Robin was to have the Shepards clean up the bandits on the outskirts and take out ranged MVPs such as mages and archers with their op mobility (Seriously, Frederick was a godsend in earlier levels, and Chrom and Lissa never dies anyways because plot device). Robin and the tank Ae'ri were paired up (Assume B-ranked supports) and because Guardian class is pretty much an immovable object and Robin (future Grandmaster) is (or will be) an unstoppable force, they wrecked everything. **

**The militiamen were added because seriously, what town doesn't have their own defense force. I mean, ffs, increasing bandit raids and they didn't train a small military force. **

**And I tried bear meat before. Apparently the taste of their meat depends on their diets. If they eat berries or fruits, it is ok. Nothing amazing, but not bad either. But if they ate meat, uuuguhhhs the bear meat is dhfohearudflj ugh.**

**I tried out a small effort at allowing Ae'ri to find out the names of our characters, and vice versa. I felt it would have been awkward, but thank the gods that Lissa is an amazing, happy icebreaker character. *~*)b Good job Lissa.**

**Reviews appreciated, criticism upon grammar or plot holes even more. **


	3. A Red Horizon

**A Red Horizon**

The ragtag group of warriors slowly collapsed into a slumber as time passed. The fire was slowly dying, only to be reluctantly awakened when I kicked another piece of wood into it. The wood crackled and snapped as it was consumed by the fire in a small act of defiance, before the fire engulfed it and grew stronger. A breeze of wind flew by and the flames danced in their serpentine waltz, its glow casting eerie lights upon the small clearing.

A snort from Lissa ruined the spectral display, the cleric grumbling slightly as she rolled over onto her back, a motion unbecoming of the noble. A small smile began to creep up the side of my mouth. Chrom was lying on his side, his front turned towards the fire and his arms acting as a pillow as he slept. He had not twitched even the slightest since the moment he laid down, indicating his experience in sleeping in the wilds. Frederick was sitting against a tree, his arms crossed and his silver lance right beside him. Despite his apparent unconsciousness, his entire body was tensed for a quick spring into action should the need ever arise.

I approved of him, if only slightly. His dedication to his lord and lady was admirable and was similar to how I treated Robin. We both understood what it meant to defend another, and we both had the same attitude in our role as a protector; No harm will come to them so long as we drew breath.

That is not to say that we were suicidal in our path; simply that we could not, no, _will_ not allow our charges to be harmed in any manner whatsoever. If the harm could not be avoided, then it will be transferred onto us instead.

It was a simple concept. Our life for theirs. Our respective charges, Chrom, Lissa and Robin were all prone to foolhardy acts either in or out of battle, and so we must be there for them when they fall. Unfortunately, none of them understood or approved of the nature of our character. They did not understand our character of us sacrificing everything we have for their sake. And so they did not take us seriously. Frederick was constantly the brunt of jokes from Lissa, and his dedication to Chrom was always underappreciated.

Robin always scolded me in my actions whenever I threw myself to her defense without any care to myself. Which was why I began to keep my wounds to myself, instead seeking out Lissa in privacy for her aid. She never asked why, thankfully, and I assumed my lack of understanding of the Ylissean language led to her not trying to ask questions. Robin was everything to me, and she is my single sole purpose in this world. I will not imagine a world without her, since I would ensure that she would never fall.

The role of a protector isn't easy. Always pressured, always alert, and always misunderstood. But Frederick and I were protectors. And we would endure for the sake of our charges, whether they approved or not.

My thoughts were disrupted as Robin shifted in her sleep, mumbling soft words as she rolled. I smiled slightly before I lifted her head onto my lab, and covered her with one of the few cloaks we had attained from the villagers. A soft pat on her shoulders and smooth sweep of her loose hair made her calm down, and she snuggled against my lap.

My heart melted as she did so, another smile gracing my lips as I watched her slumber. With another sweep of the clearing, I finally felt relaxed enough to lean against the tree and close my eyes in a short period of relaxation. Of course, I would not fall asleep. It was simply too dangerous and risky to do so in the forests. But a few minutes of closed eyes would do me wonders.

* * *

After several hours of alternating between dozing and occasionally kicking a log towards the fire, a sudden silence came over the area. It was similar to how the waves of the seas would sweep over the beach in a rapid movement that would overtake the legs of the children joyously giggling as the cold water rushes past them. But this disconcerting feeling… I gently lifted Robin's head from my lap and set it down on my bundled cloak. I covered her body with her own cloak before standing, shifting my body to warm up from the long rest. I grabbed my halberd and stood near the tree Robin was sleeping, eyes scanning the shadows that abruptly looked menacing in the absence of the sounds of nature.

Every creak and shift of the trees sent chills up my spine, and the moon that had only recently given its soft luminescence suddenly seemed foreboding and distant as its pale light sifted through the leaves of the trees. I took a deep breathe to steady my nerves, and almost flinched as Chrom suddenly sat up, his eyes surveying the clearing. His eyes located me, and he glanced questioningly at my halberd. I put a finger to my lips and turned back, facing the shadows. Thankfully, he also sensed the sudden unease in the forest and grabbed his falchion and sheath.

It was not long after that Lissa also woke up, giving a long yawn as she sat up, her eyes blearily blinking at the darkness. She stood up, brushing the dirt off of her gown and fixing her hair with surprising agility, before waving at me, staring curiously at my stance. I gave her a small, forced smile before gesturing to Chrom. She beamed at me, giving an odd sight in the tense atmosphere, before she shifted over to Chrom. They discussed something in low tones, before Lissa came back and tapped me on the shoulder.

I glanced back at her in curiosity. She mimed a few gestures, pointing towards herself and Chrom, before making her index and middle finger walk across the palm of her hands. Her final gestures included pointing at me, and then pointing towards the ground.

I twitched.

I glanced back at Frederick, their protector, who was still sleeping. Before I could object, the duo had already left the clearing, presumably to explore the forest and find the source of the tense atmosphere.

I almost ran after them to drag them back and scold them for their recklessness, but I did not dare leave Robin. I gritted my teeth, before quickly dousing the fire in hopes of hiding the clearing from whatever caused the sudden veil of silence in the forest. I started packing up the gear that was deployed in the clearing, grabbing the water sacks and satchels and hanging them onto either my side or Frederick's warhorse. I took down the sticks that we had hung the bear meat from and threw them into the bushes, kicking away the ashes of the campfire and storing my pans back into my sack.

I hesitantly nudged Frederick's foot from where he was sitting with the end of my halberd. It turned out to be a wise decision as he quickly leapt to his feet, his hand grabbing his silver lance and leveling in my direction. I hissed and leapt back as the gleaming point narrowly missed me. His eyes were narrowed in anger and confusion as he attempted to find Chrom and Lissa, only to come up with nothing. His gaze swept towards me again, and he stepped forward menacingly.

I lowered by halberd and raised a finger to my lip, giving the universal symbol of silence, and he hesitated slightly. I mimed the gesture of hearing by cupping my hand around my ear and pretended to be listening to something, and thankfully he understood. He quickly analyzed the tense situation and grabbed the armor pieces that he had taken off and began equipping them. I turned around and woke Robin as well, giving her a soft nudge on the shoulders as I did so. She woke up blearily, but when she saw Frederick and I preparing in the clearing, her alertness returned, and she started readying herself as well, which only consisted of strapping her sword and grabbing the Arcwind tome in her robes.

As Frederick and Robin finished readying themselves, Frederick once more sitting upon his massive warhorse, I whispered to them. "Lissa. Chrom," and then pointed in the direction the two had left. I put my finger upon my lips again, emphasizing silence, before I set off, hesitantly brushing aside the brushes and branches in my way as Frederick steered his horse into the larger paths. Robin followed my lead, but her unskilled steps echoed in the silence, despite me being in full armor. Every move she took made a crack as she stepped on the unseen sticks and collided with branches. I turned around once more, and mimicked the gesture of silence again, and she flushed in embarrassment.

I didn't take the time to acknowledge that as I already continued moving, noting that Frederick was only a few meters to our left, his warhorse surprisingly making very little sounds as it moved through the dirt and mud. Robin's steps quieted as she began to mimic all of my actions, stepping in my footsteps and ducking under branches instead of pushing them out of the way. Silently, I thanked the gods that Robin was great at adapting to different scenarios.

Frederick met up with us again as we followed the tracks that Chrom and Lissa made, Chrom's metal boots sinking into the dirt accompanied by Lissa's light tracks of dirt. I breathed once, before freezing and holding my arm out, both of my companions freezing as they did so. With a small bit of amusement, I noted that the warhorse had stopped right as it was moving, one leg held up comically in the air.

I breathed the air again, making sure that my senses were not confusing me, but the scent of decaying flesh and dark magic assailed my sensitive nose.

"Ae'ri?" Robin whispered behind me, her voice filled with worry. I grabbed the gigantic shield given to me by the villagers as my unease rose, and just as I was about to give the signal to continue advance, the earth roared.

The sudden shaking and sound of the earth being torn apart unbalanced my body, and I grabbed onto the nearest tree for balance. Frederick's warhorse had reared back, but the knight had quickly regained control over the horse's panic. Robin had copied my gesture, grabbing onto something for support.

A red horizon appeared behind the foliage in front of us, and with sudden shock I realized the wall of flames sweeping towards us. I yelled something in panic to get my companions attention, before grabbing Robin by the waist and dragging her with me, Frederick already steering his horse back. The warhorse charged ahead of us, smashing into the brushes and branches and clearing a path for us to follow as Frederick attempted to guide us to an area where the flames wouldn't reach.

I grunted as my armor slowed me down enough that Robin began to out speed me. I may be able to run in this armor for hours if I needed too, but I wouldn't be able to sprint or outrun anything. Robin glanced back and noticed the increasing distance between us, and yelled at me to hurry up.

I gave another attempt at a burst of speed, and just barely caught up with Robin, who was eyeing the wall of flames approaching. We finally ran out of the forest into a road, where Frederick was waiting, staring in worry as the fires slowed down. Robin was gasping with air, as was I. A minute of relief was all that was granted, until we heard the piercing scream of Lissa cry through the air. That sudden call gave a surge of adrenaline into our bodies, and we sprinted off in the direction that the voice came from.

It wasn't long before we charged into the clearing, weapons glinting in the pale moonlight as we burst through the trees. Chrom was hugging Lissa, who was trembling in fear while two corpses of ashen humanoids were disintegrating into a purple smog. A masked man stood near the two, his blade drawn.

It wasn't hard for us to assume that the masked man was the assaulter and Frederick and I immediately rushed towards the man, Frederick overtaking me on his warhorse with his steel lance extended out in front of him. Robin ran towards Lissa and Chrom, immediately assessing their state, while I followed behind Frederick, my halberd held in my two hands and my shield strapped to my back.

The man wasn't expecting Frederick's lightning charge and my thunderous steps as we converged on him, and he leapt back in panic, the warhorse threatening to run him over. He was forced to leap back again as Frederick's lance pierced the air he was just present in. I followed up with a quick lunge of my own, forcing the man to sidestep, which I then took advantage of to swing my entire body in a circle, waist bending forward as my feet danced into their positions and my halberd spinning on my back with the hands guiding it in an attempt to bisect him at the waist.

The man proved once more how agile he was as he did a back-flip out of my range, just barely avoiding the tip of the halberd as he did so. By the time he had leapt, Frederick had turned his warhorse into the man's path and brought down his silver lance. The masked man had scarcely managed to swing his sword against the lance before I rammed into him, sending him flying with the combined momentum of my armor, the sword flying out of his hand. Frederick expertly took advantage of that, wheeling his horse around and about to cleave the man's head when Chrom roared out something.

Frederick instantly froze in his actions, his lance only a hand's width away from the man's mask. I edged forward slightly, keeping my halberd trained at the man as Chrom raced towards us, quickly slapping the silver lance out of the man's face and glaring at me to stand down.

I was reluctant to do so, until Robin gave me a soft nudge. Grunting in an un-ladylike way, I slammed the end of my halberd into the ground, glaring at the man. Lissa had appeared next to Chrom and was now healing the stranger. Robin was conversing in low tones with Chrom and Frederick about the scenario before they finally stopped arguing. Robin turned to me and explained the situation as Chrom and Frederick walked off to check on the stranger.

I wasn't able to understand most of Robin's ramblings, but I managed to understand that the stranger, 'Marth', was apparently not the cause of Lissa's screams and was to be treated as an ally.

I found my mistress Robin to be in too much company nowadays.

I gave a soft sigh, before tensing up again as I heard the shambling of the undead sound from behind the forest line. Robin followed my eyes to find the crimson gaze of the undead. She yelled out a warning to the others as I charged forward, shifting my shield from my back to my left arm again, resting the heavy halberd into a semi-circle I had cut into the side of the shield.

I slammed into the undead, and to my surprise it did not break into parts as it had used to. I grimaced uneasily; this version must have been improved greatly since my training days. Nonetheless, a quick shield bash disoriented the humanoid long enough for me to pierce its head with the halberd. It was difficult, as the halberd was not meant to be used in one hand, but the circular semi-circle hole at the side of the shield was more than enough to rest my halberd in, allowing for quick thrusts behind protection.

I swore silently at my clumsiness in this new method of fighting, but I continued with it if only for the fact it provided a great deal of protection against the occasional arrow that flew out from the forest line.

Robin had managed to warn the others and construct a strategy in the time it took for me to slam into the first undead. She quickly ran in my wake to my location, gingerly leaping over the dissolving carcasses of decayed flesh and assisted me in eliminating the ranged enemies. Her Arcwind tome shuddered violently as blades of winds flew out and slammed into the enemies, the streams flying with banshee-like howls as it tore the undead into nothing more but pieces of decaying flesh.

Lissa was near the rear line, watching over us and occasionally casting healing spells from afar as she watched us fight. Frederick was positioned near her as well, his silver lance expertly slamming into enemies as they wandered too close to her.

Chrom had joined Robin and me in the front lines as well, his Falchion omitting a strange light as it cleaved through the undead with surprising ease. His strange sword made the undead seem reluctant to engage him, and instead they charged at me, as Robin was still too far for them to engage.

It was surprising at how much force they had in their weapons as they attacked me, but the sturdy rectangular shield that the villagers had gifted me was proving its worth as it easily endured each slam of the axe and force of an arrow with barely a protest. The large shield was invaluable as it allowed me to easily absorb the blows, before shoving forward and knocking them down, leaving them as easy targets for Chrom and Robin. We kept pushing forward through the forest until we arrived at a large field.

My eyes hardened at the sight of the hordes of decaying undead waddling through the field towards us. Chrom's harsh swear and Robin's gasp notified me of their position. I absently pierced an undead with my halberd as I waited for Lissa and Frederick to show up. I caught sight of several abandoned outposts, and notified Robin of them. The outposts were surprisingly well fortified, containing towering stone walls with battlements upon which one could fire off of, but overall it was in bad shape. The gates were ruined and the walls were scarred with age.

Before long, the sounds of hooves arrived, just as the last wave of the undead was halted. I glanced back and noted with surprise at the addition of two new people. One was a female cavalier who was adorned in red armor, sporting an equally red patch of unruly hair. She wielded a lance, similar to Frederick's, and was mounted. I turned my gaze to the second newcomer. He was obviously an archer, and was dressed like a noble from those in the continent of Valm. He had a unique color of blue for his shoulder-length hair, but was tangled from the ride through the forests.

The newcomers conversed with Chrom for a while as I kept watch on the approaching undead. They were approaching quickly, and I felt myself slowly tensing as they grew closer. Robin called me, and pointed towards one of the nearby outposts. I nodded once, before I started rumbling down the hillside, plowing through the undead and knocking them aside. Once again, Chrom, Robin and the female cavalier took advantage of that and finished the weakened undead. Lissa was riding with Frederick, who was closely following my wake.

The archer was slightly behind Frederick, taking eerily accurate shots at those in front of us. His arrows flew through the air with an elegant grace, just before it slammed into the throat of an undead, nearly decapitating it with the speed it had travelled at. Arrows were constantly in the air, even as I was moving, and I found myself impressed at his skill at archery.

Before long I found myself at the entrance to the outpost. I slammed an undead between the wall and my shield, turning him into a watery paste of black blood, as Frederick and Lissa rode inside, quickly ending the lives of any undead who lingered in here. The archer had ran up the stairs to the walls and was already shooting everything in sight, his arms a blur as he drew, fired, and rearmed. I glanced back outside, and to my relief, Robin was already entering the open gate, followed closely by the female cavalier with Chrom right behind her, deflecting a sword strike as he backed his way in. I lunged forward and stabbed my halberd into the offender, and Chrom gave me his thanks as he rushed in. I stood in the entrance of the outpost, slamming back the undead whenever they tried to rush in.

The occasional blow did strike me every now and then, but with my armor and Lissa's assistance I was able to hold off the undead for a long period of time. The female cavalier and Frederick were occasionally thrusting their lances above my shield to force them back, but they mainly stayed upon the walls, knocking down the occasional undead that was willing to climb up the ten meter walls. The archer's bow strings sang constantly as arrow after arrow flew, and the fluttering pages of Robin's Arcwind echoed through the night as the blades of winds howled with righteous fury.

Before long, the risen had slowly depleted, with only several packets left that made easy picking. We started sighing in relief, before an inhuman roar blasted at us. The heavy footsteps of a towering undead leader rushed at us, and my eyes widened before I was bowled over and slammed into the wall on the far side of the outpost. Thankfully, everyone else was still on the walls so the giant Chieftain couldn't see them. Unfortunately, the Chieftain would only focus me.

I blinked once as I shifted onto my feet, my shield that had served me so well during the night damaged beyond repair in one single strike. It hung in tatters and a large chunk of it had broken from the bottom. I quickly shifted my shield back onto my back, and held my halberd in its usual stance as the gigantic undead looked down at me.

The chieftain leapt at me, covering the gigantic distance in a single bound and brought his axe down hard on my spot. My body groaned as I rolled out of the hole in the wall, my entire back bruised beyond belief. Lissa yelled out something before I felt a cooling relief flow through me. Mentally I thanked her as the chieftain pulled his axe out of the broken wall, he turned towards me and gave a guttural roar. He took large bounding steps, each one shaking the earth as he brought his axe upwards for a vertical cleave.

I jumped out of the way, leaping to its left and bringing my halberd in for an attempt to hamstring his legs.

_Clang._

I blinked as the halberd was deflected off of his unharmed skin. My surprise made me an easy target as he kicked out with the very leg I tried to attack, and I flew through the air again.

I slammed into another wall and blood flew out of my mouth as I slid down the cracks. I desperately grasped for support to pull myself up as the chieftain started leaping towards me again. With bleary eyes I noticed arrows piercing the beast's back like needles, with the occasional wind magic slamming into the chieftain with little to no effect.

I took a deep breath, and as the axe came down again, I leapt forward, between the giant's legs and swung the halberd as hard as I could, trading my usual graceful form into one of brutal efficiency. The halberd bit deep into the thigh of the giant and he roared in pain. I desperately tugged on my halberd only to realize with abrupt horror that it was stuck.

The giant turned around and wrapped his humungous hands around my body, crushing it as it lifted up into the air. Blooded spurted out of my mouth again as he squeezed and I felt myself screaming as the pain overwhelmed my senses. I could feel darkness approaching the sides of my vision, and just before I blanked out I was thrown against the wall again. Or at least I would have. I was caught by a sudden breeze of wind that greatly lowered my momentum, and so instead of being liquefied by the wall, I only slammed into it.

It still hurt.

I could feel my limbs broken from the crushing grip of the undead chieftain, and I slowly collapsed onto the ground. A small burst of healing from Lissa allowed me some semblance of movement, but every errant twitch of the body sent my pain receptors into overtime. I was gasping for breath now, choking on my blood as I heaved for breath. Another burst of healing from Lissa; I could move my head now.

I was dimly aware of three figures engaging the giant, Chrom, Frederick and the female cavalier. Chrom was pulling reckless moves by staying close to the giant and evading its grabs and swings, attempting to hamstring the other leg of the giant, who was now kneeling from my near decapitation of his leg. Frederick was dancing out of the axe's reach and charging forward every now and then to strike vital points along its hands, while the female cavalier was circling around and ramming her into its limbs.

A hand laid upon me and a more permanent wave of relief coursed through my body. I painfully turned my head towards Lissa, who was healing me with worry in her eyes. I gave a small smile before I spat out a gob of blood that had been sitting in my throat. Lissa just continued to heal, crying and muttering as she did so. I could also see Robin sliding the stairs from the walls, running towards me at a full sprint, tears in her eyes.

And then the giant saw her.

I wasn't why the giant decided to do that and let himself be at a disadvantage against the three harrying it. The giant had roared one last time, before twisting its entire body from its kneeling position, ripping one of its legs apart from the halberd as it did so, and hurled his axe the entire distance from wall to wall. The axe flew through the air, twirling end-over-end as it did so, towards the back of Robin.

I couldn't breathe.

For a second, everything was still. I saw everything in clear perception. The arc of the axe. The speed of impact. Robin's look of horror. Of fear.

Lissa would later tell me how I had simply vanished and appeared beside Robin.

All I knew was that I had grabbed Robin and spun, placing my back to the axe.

It hurt.

I glanced down at Robin and noticed with a strange detachment that there was blood over her face.

My blood.

"Robin…" I managed to murmur out.

And then I collapsed.

* * *

**I have a thing for realistic, dark stories. If you read my other fanfiction you will notice that they all have a theme of hopelessness, revenge, fear, helplessness, death, etc.**

**I am a sadist.**

**Damn.**

**The first part of this chapter talking about Protectors being misunderstood was me internally ranting about how Chrom and Lissa are heartless little **** to Frederick sometimes. Frederick does everything for them and they treat it as granted. Of course, it wears off eventually but goddamn did that annoy me in the very beginning.**

**I mean, seriously, Chrom and Lissa meet an amnesiac stranger in the field and decide to be help despite the Plegian robes. The fuck? I understand that they were worried, but after the first battle Chrom decides 'hurr durr he fought bandits, he is friendly.' AND THEN THEY IGNORED FREDERICK'S CONCERNS?!**

**Bleh. Moving on.**

**The outposts are supposed to be abandoned forts, but I felt that it was completely unrealistic in actuality versus the game. In the game, you could only have one unit (two, if paired) but in 'real life', forts are supposed to be massive, castle-like defenses. I didn't really envision a fort as a small square and it didn't feel right for a fort to be that small, so I decided to convert the idea into an outpost; a well-constructed one, sure, but small.**

**And I also had a change of heart in the shields department. Giving a shield to a halberd wielder is simply unconventional and strange, and it made the Guardian class a lot like the General and Knight Class. I enjoyed the small moments of '1 man blockade' but I wanted to return it to actuality and so the shield had to go. Thankfully the gigantic Risen Chief took care of that.**

**Also; gigantic Risen Chief? That was because I felt the so called 'Risen Chief' in Fire Emblem: Awakening were lackluster. There was not difference between the regular foot soldiers and the chief. So I thought: **** it lets make him broken as all hell to emphasize the gritty reality of the Risen. As for the imagery… Think of Berserker from Fate/Stay Night. Or even a mountain troll from Lord of the Rings. Or hell, the trolls from Harry Potter. Just a lot larger. Large enough to be 5 meters tall.**

**Heh. Chief OP pls nerf.**

**And here is the first view of the Guardian-class skill: **_**Martyr**_** in action. A summary of Martyr goes like this: **_**Stats grow higher as more health is depleted. If you fall in battle, bonus stats are transferred over to paired/surrounding units for 3 turns**_**.**

**Btw, the part of dying in the skill? That was something I included just to make the name of the skill make sense. Because martyrs die. **

**Duh.**

**But maybe Ae'ri will die. Maybe she won't. It's all up to the plot bunny that hops around in my head and takes up the space that belongs to the university owl.**

**Anyways, hope you enjoyed. **

**Reviews appreciated, criticism upon grammar or plot holes even more.**


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